Not an official game!
So I’m sure we got this ad nauseum from all the pundits about the NBA: it’s the season of the NBA Jam duo. No team can claim a Big Three or Super Team, which has been kind of the theme for most of the last decade and change.
It’s because of this that we probably have the most wide open NBA season in… ever? We tend to have a pretty good idea on which teams have the best shot on winning the championship. I think 1994 (the season after Michael Jordan retired for the first time) and 1999 (the lockout season after Jordan retired for the second time) gave us a bit of a guessing game. But this coming season? We have a LOT of teams that can claim to be the favorite for the chip.
It’s easy to look at both teams from Los Angeles. The Clippers got two massive stars over the summer in Kawhi Leonard and a surprise move in Paul George. The expected trade happened as the Lakers dealt most of their youth for Anthony Davis.
But they’re not the only ones that look poised to go for it. The Rockets made a big move to get Russell Westbrook. We can’t put them in the lower playoff tier just yet. The Jazz got Mike Conley in a move to get closer to the title. Denver and Portland put up strong seasons last year and they feel they can build on that this year. And Golden State, after dominating the last five years, looks more like a wild card. A lot of the NBA “experts” have them from barely making the postseason to a mid-tier playoff team. While they do lack the depth, what if Klay Thompson gets healthy by April and they catch fire? That team is certainly intriguing.
I haven’t even mentioned the East yet. Milwaukee Bucks are going to come back stronger than before after that disappointing end to last year. Toronto lost Kawhi but is Pascal Siakam ready to take on more of the load? And that team is now battle-tested and has the respect of being the defending champions. Philadelphia loaded up with the additions of Al Horford and Josh Richardson. Is Boston going to have a renewed push with Kemba Walker? What about Indiana with a healthy Victor Oladipo? If Brooklyn has Kevin Durant, they’d muddy the waters even more.
And guess what? There are teams that I didn’t mention here that might surprise us. Like the Spurs (it’s ALWAYS the Spurs!). Like the Magic. Like the Knick…, okay, just kidding. But you get my point. A lot of teams can win this. It’s not the four-team race that we’re used to.
I can get used to this in my National Basketball Association.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
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